A research instrument is a tool used to collect and analyze data in research. Some common examples include interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and checklists. Interviews can be structured, unstructured, or semi-structured and involve asking participants questions to obtain qualitative data. Surveys are similar but are often distributed as paper or online forms rather than in-person. Observation is another instrument that involves watching people interact to collect data in a controlled or uncontrolled environment. Research instruments help simplify the process of conducting market research and learning about customer behavior.

1. Research Instrument

2. • Market research is a common practice used by
companies to learn about customer behaviour
and design suitable marketing campaigns.
However, researching the market is not easy.
To simplify the process, researchers can make
use of research instruments. These are tools
for collecting, measuring, and analysing data.
Read along to learn what research
instruments are used for and how they can be
applied.

3. Research Instrument Meaning
• Research instruments are tools used for data collection
and analysis. Researchers can use these tools in most
fields. In business, they aid marketers in market
research and customer behaviour study.
• Some examples of research instruments include
interviews, questionnaires, online surveys, and
checklists.
• Choosing the right research instrument is essential as it
can reduce data collection time and provide more
accurate results for the research purpose.

4. Research Instrument Meaning
• A research instrument is a tool for collecting
and analysing data in research.
• Data in research is a form of evidence. It
justifies how marketers reach a decision and
apply a particular strategy to a marketing
campaign.
• In research, marketers often collect data from
various sources to produce and validate
research results.

5. Research Instrument: Interviews
• The interview is a qualitative research method
that collects data by asking questions. It
includes three main types: structured,
unstructured, and semi-structured interviews.

6. Research Instrument: Interviews
• Structured interviews include an ordered list of
questions. These questions are often closed-
ended and draw a yes, no or a short answer from
the respondents. Structured interviews are easy
to execute but leave little room for spontaneity.
• Unstructured interviews are the opposite of
structured interviews. Questions are mostly
open-ended and are not arranged in order. The
participants can express themselves more freely
and elaborate on their answers.

7. Research Instrument: Interviews
• Semi-structured interviews are a blend of structured and
unstructured interviews. They are more organised than
unstructured interviews, though not as rigid as structured
interviews.
• Compared to other research instruments, interviews
provide more reliable results and allow the interviewers to
engage and connect with the participants. However, it
requires experienced interviewers to drive the best
response from the interviewees.
• Tools used in interviews may include:
• Audio recorder (face-to-face interview)
• Cam recorder & video conferencing tools (online interview)

8. Research Instrument: Surveys
• Research Instrument: Surveys
• Survey research is another primary data
collection method that involves asking a group
of people for their opinions on a topic.
However, surveys are often given out in paper
form or online instead of meeting the
respondents face-to-face.

9. Research Instrument: Observations
• Observation is another research instrument for
marketers to collect data. It involves an observer
watching people interacting in a controlled or
uncontrolled environment.
• An example is watching a group of kids playing and
seeing how they interact, which kid is most popular in
the group, etc.
• Observation is easy to execute and also provides highly
accurate results. However, these results might be
subjected to observer bias (the observers' opinions and
prejudice) which lowers their fairness and objectivity.
Also, some types of observations are not cheap.